Submarine-destroyer.



J. H. WELLS.

' SUBMARINE DESTROYER. 'APPLICATION mzo 001. 5. 1915.

Patented June 6,1916.

UNITED STATES JOHN H. WELLS, OF PORT CLINTON, OHIO.

SUBMARINE-DESTROYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Application filed October 5, 1915. Serial No. 54,128.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. \VnLLs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Port Clinton, in the county of Ottawa and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Submarine-Destroyers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referenc being had to the accompa-nying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to marine cutters for ripping plating of submarines.

It has for its object to provide a means which will not only ram a submarine, but also which will rip open a submarine.

The construction embodying my invention preferably attached to a high speed boat at point between amidships and the the keel of the boat. It consists of a metal plate having a sharpened point and edge. The point is so formed that it will be suitably supported to penetrate the skin of a submarine or cut any other subsurface object. Means is also provided whereby the ripper may be made adjustable and may be automatically released from the boat to which it is attached, and may be released from the article or construction caught by the ripper. Means may also be provided for returning the cutter to its normal position.

Constructions containing my invention may be used in connection with boats of different forms and for ramming or ripping or cutting various marine structures. I have selected a structure containing my invention as an example to show how it may be constructed and operated. The construction selected is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawing illustrates a boat having attached thereto the ripper. Fig. 2 is a side view of the ripper. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the ripper and keel of the boat. Fig. 4 illustrates an adjustable ripper, and also illustrates an automatic means for releasing the ripper.

is a suitable bow along 1, Fig. 1, is a high speed boat to which the ripper 2 is attached. It is secured to the keel between amidships and how. The ripper 2 is preferably formed of bronze. It is made in the form of a fin, which extends V- shaped from the bottom of the boat. It is secured to the keel 3 by means of bolts 4 which extend through flanges 5. If .desired, the bolts 4 may be made only strong enough that when the pressure upon the ripper 2 is too great, the bolts 4 will be sheared from the keel 3 and the ripper 2 will be released from the boat 1. The ripper 2 is provided with a point 10, which may be provided with a rounded edge 11 to give strength to the point. The point 10 is formed by the lower edge 12 intersecting with the beveled sides 13 which form the portion 11 of the edge of the ripper. The edge 15 of the ripper is substantially V-shaped, having a rounded corner 14. The point 10 will penetrate the skin of the submarine, which will usually be cut or ripped at the rounded corner 14 of the edge 15.

The bolts 4 are preferably so constructed that when the ripper 2 engages with such a part of the construction of the submarine that the ripper cannot cut it, it will shear the bolts 4 so as to relieve the ripper from the boat 1.

In the modified form of the construclion shown in Fig. 4, the ripper 20 is pivoted to a large bolt 21 which is supported in pillow blocks or bearings 22. The ripper 20 is contained within a housing 23, which covers a slot or channel in the keel or bottom of the boat, through which the ripper extends. A housing 24, in the form of a bracket, is located at one side of the housing 23. and also forms a brace to the con struetion. A bifurcated lever arm 25 is located in the housing 24. It is secured to a pivot pin 26 supported in the housing 24. It extends through a slot 27 formed in the housing 23 and covered by the housing 24. A pin 30 is located on the end of the lever arm 25. The ripper 20 is provided with a notch 31 having rounded edges or sides 32 and 33. into which the pin may be inserted to hold the ripper 20 in its ripping position. A coacting lever arm 35 is Secured to the pin 26 on the outside of the housing 24. It may be bifurcated and connected to a pin block 36, the pin of which sets into a notch 37 located in the lever arm 35. An eye-bolt 38 extends through the block 36. The block is adjustably secured in position relative to the eye-bolt by means of the nut 39. A heavy spring 40 is connected to the eye-bolt and to some fixed part of the boat such as to the lower end of a strengthening rib 41 of the housing 24. The pin 30 is inserted in the notch 31, and by the operation of the spring 40, the lever to which the pin is secured, raises the ripper 20.

The upper part of the housing 23 is provided with an adjustable stop in the form of a screw 45, having the head 46 located at its lower end. A threaded nut or sleeve 47 formed in the cover plate 48 receives the screw 45. The screw 45 may be provided with a hand-wheel 49, whereby it may be turned in the threaded sleeve 47 The ripper 20 is provided with a rounded nose 50 which abuts against the head 46, produced by the pull of the tension spring 40. The forward edge of the fin or ripper 20 may be made of a suitable width, and the screw 45 may be made of desired length to properly adjust the fin for the purpose of attacking a submarine structure. Also, the notch 31 and the engaging pin 36 may be located in any suitable position in the fin 20. The position, preferred, however, is to place the pin 30 slightly removed from the line of pressure against the fin 20 on the cutting edge of the ripper so as to tend to produce a slight rotative movement of the fin 20 about the pin 21, which. however, is resisted by the spring 40 in its action on the lever arms 25 and 35, sufficient to cause penetration and ripping of the skin of a submarine. \Vhcn this pressure becomes sufficiently great so as to rotate the fin or ripper 20 about the pin 21 a sufficient distance such that the pin 30 will be withdrawn from the notch 31, the fin 20 will be released and will rotate toward the stern of the boat. The edge 55 located above the cutting edge of the ripper may thereupon ride upon the subsurface construction, or a submarine boat, and thus release the boat 1 to which the fin or ripper is attached.

The fin or ripper 20 may be returned by means of the wrench 60, which may be placed over the head of the pivot pin 21 to rotate the pivot pin 21, and to rotate the fin or ripper 20 back into the housing 23. he pin 30 may also be replaced in the notch 31 by unscrewing the screw 45 and raising the lever arm 35, allowing the pin 33 to ride along the edge of the fin 20 until it enters the slot 31, whereupon the pin block 36 may be placed over the lever arm 35, and if desired, the nut 39 may be screwed down or may be adjusted as may be desired. The screw 45 may then be turned down in the sleeve 47 so as to bring a slight pressure upon the spring 40 to hold the parts of the ripper tight, or to adjust its depth. The pin 21 may also be made so that it will be sheared if the pressure against the fin or ripper is too great, whereupon the ripper will slide from the boat by reason of the inclined upper wall 68 of the housing 23.

The ripper 20 is provided with a point 70 formed substantially in the same Way that the point 10 is formed in the construction shown in Fig. 2. It is also provided with a sharpened V-shaped edge 71 for ripping the skin of the submarine. The boat may also be provided with a bronze ram 69.

The construction selected and described may be still further modified in the arrangement and manufacture of its parts and in the substitution of elements having equivalent functions, and such modifications may be used for many various purposes and still contain the invention.

Having thus described my what I claim as new and Letters Patent, is

1. A submarine ripper comprising a fin, means for attaching the fin to the bottom of a boat, the fin having a sharpened point and a sharpened edge extending bow-ward of the boat.

2. A submarine ripper, comprising a fin, means for attaching the fin to the bottom of a boat, the fin having a sharpened point and a sharpened edge extending bow-ward of the boat, the edge being V-shaped.

3. A submarine ripper, comprising a fin, the fin having a sharpened point and a sharpened edge extending bow-ward of the boat, the edge being V-shaped and having a rounded corner and secured to the boat by invention, desire to secure by shearable bolts.

4. In a submarine ripper, the combination of a ripping fin, means for automatically releasing the fin when the pressure passes a maximum amount.

5. A submarine ripper comprising an adjustable ripper pivotally supported on a shearable bolt.

6. A submarine ripper comprising an adjustable fin, a housing for containing the fin located within and secured to the bottom of a boat, the ripper having a puncturing point and edge extending bow-ward.

7 A submarine ripper comprising a fin, means for adjusting the fin, the ripper having a sharpened point and edge extending bow-ward.

8. In a submarine ripper, the combination of an anjustable fin, means for automatically releasing the fin when the pressure passes a maximum amount.

9. In a submarine ripper, the combination of a ripping fin, a housing for containing pressed member for engaging the fin, and the fin, a spring pressed member for engagmeans for automatically releasing the fin ing the fin, means for automatically releas when the ripping pressure exceeds a desired 10 ing the fin When the ripping pressure examount.

ceeds a desired amount. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 10. In a submarine ripper, the combinasigned my name to this specification. tion of a ripping fin, an adjustable spring JOHN H. WELLS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

